The development of the tetracycline antibiotics was the direct result of a systematic screening of soil specimens collected from many parts of the world for evidence of microorganisms capable of producing bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic compositions. The first of these novel compounds was introduced in 1948 under the name chlortetracycline. Two years later, oxytetracycline became available. The elucidation of the chemical structure of these compounds confirmed their similarity and furnished the analytical basis for the production of a third member of this group in 1952, tetracycline. A new family of tetracycline compounds, without the ring-attached methyl group present in earlier tetracyclines, was prepared in 1957 and became publicly available in 1967; and minocycline was in use by 1972.
Recently, research efforts have focused on developing new tetracycline antibiotic compositions effective under varying therapeutic conditions and routes of administration. New tetracycline analogues have also been investigated which may prove to be equal to or more effective than the originally introduced tetracycline compounds. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,980,584; 2,990,331; 3,062,717; 3,165,531; 3,454,697; 3,557,280; 3,674,859; 3,957,980; 4,018,889; 4,024,272; and 4,126,680. These patents are representative of the range of pharmaceutically active tetracycline and tetracycline analogue compositions.
Historically, soon after their initial development and introduction, the tetracyclines were found to be highly effective pharmacologically against rickettsiae; a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; and the agents responsible for lymphogranuloma venereum, inclusion conjunctivitis, and psittacosis. Hence, tetracyclines became known as “broad spectrum” antibiotics. With the subsequent establishment of their in vitro antimicrobial activity, effectiveness in experimental infections, and pharmacological properties, the tetracyclines as a class rapidly became widely used for therapeutic purposes. However, this widespread use of tetracyclines for both major and minor illnesses and diseases led directly to the emergence of resistance to these antibiotics even among highly susceptible bacterial species both commensal and pathogenic (e.g., pneumococci and Salmonella). The rise of tetracycline-resistant organisms has resulted in a general decline in use of tetracyclines as antibiotics of choice.